Can you delay menopause with lifestyle or diet?

Genetics is the strongest determinant of the age at which you reach menopause, but lifestyle and diet also matter. This is shown by large cohort studies, including a British one involving 3,566 women and an Australian one involving 1,146 women who were followed for an average of 12.5 years. Controlled experiments are virtually non-existent. Everything we know therefore consists of associations, not proven cause and effect.

Fish oil had the strongest association with a later menopause in the British study. Women who regularly took fish oil had a substantially reduced risk of early menopause. Vitamin B complex and vitamin C also showed a positive association, though less pronounced. Smoking and eating large amounts of red meat were associated with an earlier menopause.

One study drew attention to a substance that occurs naturally in mandarins, oranges and peaches. Women with a daily intake of approximately 400 micrograms of this substance reached menopause an average of 1.3 years later, even after adjusting for other factors. The mechanism has not yet been proven, but it suggests that eating more fruit may play a role.

Early menopause has broader consequences for your health. A Korean cohort study involving more than 1.1 million women showed that women whose menopause began before the age of forty had a 13% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than women whose menopause began at fifty or later.

Menopausal hormone therapy cannot delay menopause itself. A European expert guideline (EMAS) does state that it has a beneficial effect on blood sugar regulation after menopause. For women with diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors, a patch or gel containing oestradiol is preferred over an oestrogen pill. Whether hormone therapy is suitable for you must always be assessed individually by a doctor.